Boystown 7: Bloodlines by marshall thornton Read Free Book Online

being Christ-like. “You’re probably right. You said you’ll be considering your decision for six months. What does that entail?”
    “Prayer. Counseling. Meditation.”
    “I assume you’ve had sex with men before. Have you ever felt anything stronger than lust?”
    “Actually, I haven’t had sex with a man. I have had feelings stronger than lust, though.”
    I took a long gulp of margarita. This wasn’t making sense. “How old are you?”
    “Nearly thirty.”
    “Have you ever had sex with a woman?”
    “No. I was a very devout teenager, altar boy, bible study, Catholic boys’ school, followed by seminary and the priesthood.” There must have been a dubious look on my face because he added, “I know that things happen in boys’ school and seminary, I just managed to avoid them. They frightened me. Still do, I suppose.”
    “So then how can you make a decision if you’ve never tried anything? I mean, it would be awful to leave the priesthood and find out later you don’t like sucking cock.”
    Unfortunately, the waiter chose that moment to return for our order. There was a devilish smirk on Joseph’s face as he looked down at his menu. I wondered how he did that, how he seemed devilish when he had no firsthand knowledge of sin. I wondered if he was telling me the complete truth. He ordered a chilé relleno and I had a combination lunch, which included an enchilada, a taco and a tostada.  
    When the waiter left, I stared at Joseph, waiting for him to answer my question. It didn’t seem wise to repeat it. Finally, he started, “It’s not like ice cream. You don’t have to try every single kind to decide which is your favorite. I’m not worried about whether I’ll like sucking cock. If I love someone I’m sure I’ll like it just fine.”
    “It’s not always about love,” I pointed out. “Sometimes it’s about sex.”
    “What did Oscar Wilde say about sex? ‘Everything is about sex, except sex which is about power.’ I may be paraphrasing.”
    “I think you may be wandering off topic,” I said as I finished my drink. I hoped the waiter would come back soon and offer me another.
    “All sex is about love in some way. Even if it’s only love of mankind.”
    “You’re not afraid of finding out you and mankind might just be friends?”
    “No. I love mankind.”
    We fell into staring at each other until I was completely uncomfortable.  
    “You said I have to be careful with you. What did that mean?”
    “I don’t know. If I knew I wouldn’t have needed to say it.”
    I had the feeling I should get up and leave him there. This wasn’t going to end well and I knew it. But then I thought, what relationship does end well? Things didn’t end well with Daniel—any of the times it ended—and things certainly didn’t end well with Harker. I tried to think of a relationship that had ended well and I couldn’t. Each time I thought I had, my relationship with Brian for instance, I had to be honest with myself and admit that the relationship hadn’t really ended at all. The only relationships I could think of that had truly ended well were the ones where I hadn’t bothered to ask for a name.
    “This conversation is far too serious,” Joseph said out of the blue. “Tell me how you are. Tell me you’re happy and that things are good with you.”
    “I’m working a lot. And I’m liking that.”
    “What are you working on?”
    “I can’t discuss my work. My clients expect a certain amount of discretion.”
    “Really? You talked to me freely about your work at St. Boniface.”
    “That was different. I was interviewing you, for one thing. And I needed your help.”
    “Can’t you deputize me or something? I’m still a priest. We do secrets pretty well, you know.”
    “If I need you, I’ll let you know.”
    In point of fact, Joseph knew things about me that could send me to prison for a very long time. It wasn’t a question of trust. I trusted him. Gossiping about my clients was a